Dimitri's Point of View in Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy) (Book 3)

Part 19

Chapter 19:

Out on the runway, Christian stood near the entrance to the plane, along with a few of the other guardians. Lissa ran off to talk to him, leaving Rose and I alone. We hadn't said a word the entire way back from the spa. I was too occupied with the constant wonder of what my fortune had said.

Normally I didn't believe in such nonsense, but my grandmother had been a vrajitoare, she practiced the same arts that Rhonda had.

I remember, once I had asked my grandmother to read my future, she had predicted that I would be a very successful protector for a rare Moroi princess, and that I would become who I had feared most. Looking down at Rose, I knew my fortunes were becoming true. I never wanted to be a man in love, I never wanted to get distracted, and be faced with the choice of protecting the one I loved rather than the one I was assigned to.

"Are you thinking about what Rhonda said? That woman's a total scam." Rose interrupted my thoughts.

I looked down at her surprised, no one could read my mind like she could.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, stopping not far from where the others stood. A sharp wind blasted us all in the face, Rose shivered.

"Because she didn't tell us anything! You should have heard my future. It was, like, one sentence stating the obvious. Lissa had a better fortune, but it wasn't really anything that profound. Rhonda said she'd be a great leader. I mean, seriously, how hard is that to figure out?"

I treid not to laugh at the pout forming on her lip, I cracked a smile. "Would you be a believer if she'd given you a more interesting reading?"

"Maybe if it was good." When I finally caved to laughter Rose looked up at me with a serious face. "But you're taking it seriously. Why? You really believe in that kind of stuff?"

"It's not so much that I believe... or that I don't believe." I tugged my black knit cap down to better cover my ears. "I just resect people like her. They have access to knowledge other people don't."

"She's not a spirit user, though, so I'm not really sure where she's getting this knowledge. I still think she's a con artist."

"She's a vrajitoare, actually." I replied as I watched the snow fall heavier.

"A...a what? Is that Russian?" She asked confused.

"Romanian. It means... well, there's no real translation. 'Witch' is close, but that's not right. Their idea of a witch isn't the same as an American's." I explained, repeating what my grandmother had once confirmed with me when I was around Rose's age. "My grandmother was like Rhonda. That is, she practiced the same kind of arts. Personality-wise, they're very different."

Rose took a step back, a line formed between her perfect eyebrows. "Your grandmother was a...v-whatever?"

"It's called something else in Russian, but yes, the same meaning. She used to read cards and give advice too. It was how she made her living." I recalled watching my grandmother sit on a throne-like chair, placing cards on the table in front of her customer. I had sat in the corner of the room, amazed at how careful and practiced her hands worked around each card.

"Was she right? In her predictions?"

"Sometimes." Rose's eyes grew wide in confusion and suspicion, as her pretty pink colored lips parted with doubt. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" She asked, her expression completely gone now.

"You've got this look on your face that says you think I'm delusional. But you're too nice to say anything."